Athlete Spotlight: James Wood Softball Player Rachael Largent

Posted: May 29, 2013

James Wood High School 18-year-old senior

Sport: Softball

Position: Center fielder

Parents: Debra White and Dennis Largent

Hometown: Slanesville, W.Va., but moved to Winchester the summer before her freshman year of high school.

Nickname: Some people call me “Rach” but that’s about it.

When did you start softball: I started playing baseball actually in elementary school, but I didn’t start playing softball until eighth grade.

What you love about softball: I think the whole game in general is just really amazing, but then also meeting all the different girls and just bonding with coaches and family and teammates.

Biggest strength and weakness in softball: [Strength] I guess my fielding. My favorite is shoelace catches, I love coming up and making those. [Weakness] Sometimes I drop my bat shoulder when I’m swinging and it makes me pop up instead of hitting nice, solid line drives.

Sport you always wanted to try: I feel like volleyball would be really fun, I would have enjoyed trying that. The serving and spiking looks pretty intense so I think it would be pretty cool.

Most memorable moment in softball: Probably hitting the home run over our brand-new fence last year. Even though it was a scrimmage game it still counted and it was my first home run [in high school].

Most embarrassing moment in softball: I had a tube of eye black in the back pocket of my pants and I washed all my uniforms, so my white uniform was like striped black and had marks all over it. It was pretty bad. Luckily I play in the outfield so it’s harder to see.

Favorite athlete: It’s a tie between [New York Yankees legend] Babe Ruth and [former U.S. Olympic softball player] Jennie Finch. She helped make softball really popular and he’s just an overall inspirational person.

Favorite sports team: Boston Red Sox

Three people you can have dinner with, dead or alive: [Country singer] Eric Church, Babe Ruth and [country singer] Luke Bryan.

Favorite Quote: “Live the life you love, love the life you live” – Bob Marley

Favorite subject in school: All my agricultural classes, I’m in FFA. The students are really nice and the teachers really connect with you and it’s all hands on.”

Pregame routine/ritual: I have to go get a Mountain Dew from Sheetz and then go to Exxon and get a sub and eat it with Whitney [Dick], Hayley [Whitacre] and some of my other teammates and I have to have a ribbon in my hair and big earrings.

Plans after high school: I’m going to Shenandoah University to major in Chemistry because I want to be a pharmacist. I think I want to mainly focus on school, but I might try to play softball.

— Compiled by Kevin Trudgeon